In this episode of The Invisible Addiction Podcast former Police Officer, Colin Bland, shares his harrowing gambling addiction story.  

How did Colin start gambling?  

What impact did his gambling addiction have on him, and others around him?  

How did he stop gambling, and get help…?  

Since retiring from the Police, Colin has spent time as a drugs/alcohol worker, and now works for Citizens Advice Gambling Support Service in Yorkshire, which delivers training and raises awareness to reduce gambling harms across the region.    

He is an amazing man, who shares a powerful, courageous and honest story, that will be highly relatable to many of us with tales from the bookies to talking through the devastation gambling has on your mental health.   

I’m hugely excited to share it with you!

Here's a rough breakdown of the conversation:  

00:00 Introductions and hearing about Colin’s time as a Police Officer and how he ended up working for Citizens Advice 

11:54 What signposts do Citizens Advice offer for people with gambling problems? 

17:16 How did Colin start betting/get into gambling? 

32:05 ‘Mentally I was exhausted’ 

42:19 ‘Every problem I’ve had, you can trace back to the gambling’ 

52:39 How did Colin get help/stop gambling? 

103:28 Colin talks about his joy helping others in their recovery   

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You can reach out to Colin on Twitter: @GambleSupportYH  

Visit the Citizens Advice website: www.calderdalecab.org.uk   

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This Podcast is proudly sponsored by TalkBanStop which is a partnership between GamCare, Gamban and GAMSTOP to help anyone experiencing gambling harms to start their recovery journey:   https://www.gamcare.org.uk/talk/